Tension escalated in Rivers State on Wednesday after the State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, over allegations of gross misconduct.
At plenary, lawmakers resolved to invoke Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution and serve the governor and his deputy with a notice of alleged gross misconduct within seven days.
The Assembly accused the executive of undermining peace efforts facilitated by President Bola Tinubu, breaching financial transparency rules, and obstructing the legislature from performing its constitutional duties.
The Majority Leader, Major Jack (APC, Akuku-Toru), said Governor Fubara had repeatedly failed to honour agreements reached through the president’s intervention.
Mrs. Linda Somiari (APC, Okrika) alleged that the administration made illegal appointments without legislative approval, withheld salaries and allowances of lawmakers and the Clerk of the House, Emeka Amadi, and failed to implement financial autonomy for the legislature and judiciary. She also accused the governor of withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission.
The House further declined to consider the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the 2026 budget, citing Section 10 of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law No. 8 of 2010, which requires the presentation of an MTEF every three years. Lawmakers noted that the last MTEF was submitted in 2022 by former governor Nyesom Wike and accused the current administration of spending from the state’s Consolidated Revenue Fund without legislative approval.
Speaker Martins Amaewhule accused the governor and his deputy of posing a threat to democracy, saying impeachment was necessary to protect constitutional order in the state. He assured that due process would be strictly followed during the investigation.
Meanwhile, a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has rejected the impeachment move, warning that it could destabilise the state. The faction, led by Emeka Beke, urged lawmakers—particularly APC members—to halt the process and resist what it described as external pressure.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, the faction said reviving political conflicts linked to the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was unacceptable. It argued that the impeachment threat was tied to the budget and recalled that during emergency rule, an appropriation bill of ₦1.485 trillion was transmitted to the National Assembly in May 2025 and approved by the Senate and House of Representatives in June and July 2025.
The faction said the budget was designed to run until August 2026 and maintained that the constitution permits a governor to operate within a six-month spending window into a new fiscal year. It added that the governor was not obligated to present a supplementary budget if satisfied with the existing one.
